Obscured by Clouds. The rough and ready blog of a cloud benighted biologist and amateur astronomer. Astroblog will cover my interests in astronomy, biology and Life, the Universe and Everything.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Mars in the Head of the Scorpion (11-13 October)

11-10-12 (click to embiggen) 15 second exposure, ASA 400, Canon IXUS

12-10-12

13-10-12

11-10-12 close up (click to embiggen) as above but 3x zoom

12-10-12

13-10-12

While asteroid 2012 TC4 has been taking up a lot of my time, other things have been happening in the sky. Mars entered the head of Scorpius the Scorpion, and is rapidly climbing the asterism towards the red star Antares the "Rival of Mars".

This is a series of images I took from 11 October - 13 October. Mars is the object that is obviously moving from frame to frame.

Sadly, cloud has covered tonight's view (and covered Venus being close to the crescent Moon). If you embiggen the large scale view from 12 October (middle top), you can see Mercury right down the bottom.